Club together for Premium Uilleann Pipe Case?

Uilleann Pipes
1

Hi,
I have spent a bit of time recently trying to find a new pipe case.

It is amazing the range of boxes people store their instrument in, from beautiful handmade wooden boxes, fiddle cases, viola cases, rifle cases, tool boxes, keyboard cases, soft cases, custom flight cases… the list goes on.

There are some makers selling good cases especially for the pipes. However, many people end up buying a case originally designed for a different purpose… and then gutting it out to suit the pipes. It seems wastefully to have to pay for something extra that you are going to remove as soon as you get it.

This got me thinking.
What if we clubbed together to buy a batch of high end cases specifically for pipes.

It would be great if we could buy a correctly sized, strong – but light - case. Then each person could then add their own padding etc to hold the chanter/whistles in place. Add some Velcro straps to secure the stock/regs/drones, include an accessory bag for tape/reed things… and you have a perfect pipe case.

Strong, light, compact, yet with enough room to be padded and hold everything securely in place.

Would anyone be interested in clubbing together to buy such a thing?

I had a look at some of the top case makers for classical instruments.

One that struck me as particularly nice (but expensive!) was the following carbonfiber viola case.

It is extremely strong
Measurements are 78 x 29 x 14 cm
It weighs just 3kg
Comes in a range of colours.


But the retail price is…. Wait for it… 1125 Euro!

That is a crazy price for a case no matter how strong or light.
However, if enough people were interested in buying it without the viola specific padding and bow holders etc, it could be sold for literally half price.

This is still very expensive, but certainly seems more reasonable.

Would anyone be interested in exploring this further?

Perhaps you know of other case makers who would be interested in doing a batch of cases for pipes at a reduced price?

Any other ideas would be great.

Cheers,
Conor

2

You’re forgetting that full sets vary greatly in size. For instance, my full set has a compact bass drone and a “Taylor style” bass reg bar. It measures approx. 28" fully assembled. Compare that with a B set with a straight bass reg which would probably require a rifle case, unless you remove the bass reg and bass drone slide section.

3

Hi PJ, You make a good point.

However I think those measurements
78 x 29 x 14 cm
would be pretty good for a standard concert set?

4

I play a relatively compact full set - short bass drone (only slightly longer than the baritone drone) and Taylor-style bass reg. This means that my set fits comfortably into a 30" (66 cm) case with no disassembly. For me, one of the criteria in selecting a case would be the degree to which I would have to disassemble my pipes to fit them into the case.

Without removing the bass drone slide section, 78 cm would be sufficient for most concert pitch 1/2 sets. I don’t know about C sets and I doubt it would be long enough for B or Bb sets (particularly with straight bass drones).

However, with full sets, even concert pitch, 78cm of space would mean you’d still have to remove upper part of the bass reg bar (unless it’s a Taylor-style bass reg or the bass reg is designed to be easily unclipped and removed). In my opinion that’s too much disassembly. Particularly when you consider the risks of damaging the bass reg reed, the retuning of bass reg and bass drone, and the risks of damage with all those extra parts rolling around loose inside a case.

5

My new Andreas Rogge D Full Set and and B, C, D wide and narrow bore + extra Reeds/hemp/Knife/pliers I use the flightcase for full sets on A. Rogge Web page http://www.uilleann-pipes.de
84 x 27.5 x 12 cm.
I have to remove the Bass Drone slide bit and the Detachable Bass-Regulator and the bellow just fit in the end of case.

I once used http://www.savageandhoy.co.uk/index.html
Cases.Sizes 31” x 11” x 5” and 33” x 13.5” x 6”
Made from fibreglass, colour black, padding lined with crushed velvet, strong leather handle and locks/keys.

Another post dated back December 2003 about cases.
http://forums.chiffandfipple.com/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=16331&start=0&hilit=savage+and+hoy+case

Cheers

Ferg

6

I bought a case from the Consort Case Co. in Mooncoin and that houses two half sets no problem and it didnt cost the earth either.

cheers

Mei